Hamas said it has accepted a ceasefire deal proposed by Egypt and Qatar which seeks to halt the seven-month war with Israel in Gaza.

In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposal.

The Israeli government is now reviewing the Hamas response, CNN has learned. The Israeli prime minister’s office has declined to comment at this stage.

Israeli officials said the cease-fire deal Hamas claims to have accepted from Egypt and Qatar on Monday was not approved by the Jewish state — and that it could be a “deception” by the terrorist organization. 

The stakes could hardly be higher at this moment. Israel is preparing to launch an offensive in Rafah, the last stronghold for Hamas — and a city where more than 1 million Palestinians have taken refuge while fleeing war elsewhere in the Gaza Strip.

Israel played down the likelihood of a ceasefire in Gaza on Monday after Hamas said it had accepted a proposal from mediators, even as residents fled the city of Rafah in fear of an Israeli assault.

The last minute moves towards a ceasefire came as Israeli forces struck Rafah on Gaza's southern edge and ordered residents out of parts of the city, which has served as the last refuge for more than a million displaced Gazans.